Savage and fearless, orc tribes are ever in search of elves, dwarves, and humans to destroy. Motivated by their hatred of the civilized races of the world and their need to satisfy the demands of their deities, the orcs know that if they fight well and bring glory to their tribe, Gruumsh will call them home.
In some campaigns, humanoids normally regarded as sinister threats can emerge to adventure alongside humans and the other standard races. This section is aimed at DMs who wish to expand the race selections for their campaigns beyond the typical folk of D&D.
Why a Monstrous Character?
Creating characters as creatures normally cast as villains offers up some interesting roleplaying possibilities. Whether played for comedy, as a tragic story of betrayal and loss, or as an antihero, a monstrous character gives a player a chance to take on an unusual challenge in the campaign. Before allowing monstrous characters in your campaign, consider the following three questions.
Rare or Mundane?
Consider how common orc, goblin, and similar adventurers are in your setting. Are they regarded as no stranger than elves or dwarves? Are they met with suspicion? The role these races play in your setting should determine the kinds of reactions that such characters meet.
Don't be afraid to push things to an extreme. An ore character might have to venture into town in disguise or remain in the wilderness, for fear of imprisonment or mob violence. Be sure to talk to the group about how such characters can expect the world to treat them. Some players like the challenge of taking on an outcast, but don't set up one expectation and deliver another.
You can establish a monstrous creature as just another culture in your campaign, one that has alliances and rivalries with humans, elves, and dwarves. A hobgoblin kingdom might serve as a buffer between a human kingdom and a blighted region overrun by the spawn of Kyuss. Kobolds might be city builders, the architects of grand, heavily fortified edifices, which other folk dwell in for a price. The cultural notes in chapter 1 are the standard D&D depiction of these creatures, but by no means do they define them for your campaign. Use them as a starting point for your own ideas.
Outcast or Ambassador?
Consider how a monstrous character's native culture views the character. Is the character an outcast, a spy, an ambassador, or something else? Work with the player to determine how the character ended up as an adventurer.
The character's bond is a great starting point to consider for this question. How did the bond drive the character to adventure? The character's trait, flaw, and ideal can also play a role in fleshing out the story.
Friends or Enemies?
Figure out what special ties the character has to other members of the adventuring party. An orc warlock might be the dwarf ranger's sworn enemy, but the two are forced to work together to defeat a mutual foe. Perhaps the kobold sorcerer was the tiefiing wizard's familiar, transformed by an irate archmage in return for some petty insult. The hobgoblin paladin might have been human once, but crossed the wrong hag and was cursed to take on an evil guise. A creative tie between a monstrous character and the rest of the party helps make for a memorable campaign.
The Monstrous Origin table gives a number of ideas for adding a monstrous character to the campaign.
| d8 | Origin |
|---|---|
| 1 | You are a spy sent to undermine your enemies from within. |
| 2 | You are the victim of a curse or Polymorph spell. |
| 3 | You were raised by humans, elves, or dwarves and have adopted their culture. |
| 4 | At a young age, you adopted a human religion and now serve it faithfully. |
| 5 | You received divine insight that sent you on your path, and occasionally receive new visions that guide you. |
| 6 | Your sworn enemy is an ally of your people, forcing you to leave your tribe to gain vengeance. |
| 7 | An evil entity corrupted your people's society. |
| 8 | An injury or strange event caused you to lose all memory of your past, but occasional flashes of it return to you. |
Orc Traits
Your orc character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, your Constitution increases by 1, and your Intelligence score decreases by 2.
Age
Orcs reach adulthood at age 12 and live up to 50 years.
Alignment
Orcs are vicious raiders, who believe that the world should be theirs. They also respect strength above all else and believe the strong must bully the weak to ensure that weakness does not spread like a disease. They are usually chaotic evil.
Size
Orcs are usually over 6 feet tall and weigh between 230 and 280 pounds. Your size is Medium. Your height is 5'4" with a modifier of +284. Your weight is 175 lbs. with a modifier of +(height roll) x 2d6.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Aggressive
As a bonus action, you can move up to your movement speed toward a hostile creature you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
Menacing
You are trained in the Intimidation skill.
Powerful Build
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Languages
You can read and write Common and Orc.
Source: Volo's Guide to Monsters
Eberron Orc
An orc character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age
Orcs reach adulthood at age 12 and live up to 50 years .
Alignment
The orcs of Eberron are a passionate people, given to powerful emotion and deep faith. They are generally chaotic, but can be any alignment.
Size
Your size is Medium. To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier: Size modifier = 2d8 Height = 5 feet + 4 inches + your size modifier in i nches Weight in pounds = 175 + (2d6 x your size modifier)
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Aggressive
As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
Powerful Build
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Primal Intuition
You have proficiency in two of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, and Survival.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc.
Source: Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Exandrian Orcs
Exandrian orcs are not bound to commit acts of evil by nature. An orc character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age
Orcs reach adulthood at age 16, and live up to 80 years.
Alignment
Orcs fear the curse of ruin that is said to plague their race, and tend strongly toward either chaos (accepting their fate), or toward law (rejecting it).
Size
Orcs stand easily 8 feet tall and corded with powerful muscles, weighing up to 280 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Here's how to determine your height and weight randomly, starting with rolling a size modifier: Size modifier= 2d8 Height = 5 feet + 4 inches + your size modifier in inches Weight in pounds = 175 + (2d6 x your size modifier)
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Aggressive
As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
Powerful Build
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Primal Intuition
You have proficiency in two skills of your choice from the following list: Animal Handling, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Perception, and Survival.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc.
Source: Explorer's Guide to Wildemount
Orc MPMM
On some worlds, such as Eberron, orcs were among the first defenders of the natural order from the encroachments of Fiends and other extraplanar threats. Gruumsh's blessings have made orcs tireless guardians and mighty allies wherever they are found, even when they turn their devotion to other gods.
Ability Score Increase
One ability score of your choice increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1, or three ability scores of your choice increase by 1.
Size
Medium
Speed
30 ft.
Adrenaline Rush
You can take the Dash action as a bonus action. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Whenever you use this trait, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.
Darkvision
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
Powerful Build
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Relentless Endurance
When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for your character.
Source: Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse